Kendujhar/Baripada: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Saturday laid the foundation stones for three lift irrigation projects worth Rs 120 crore in Kendujhar and Mayurbhanj districts, which are expected to provide irrigation facilities to 4,280 hectares of agricultural land.
The projects, coming up at Raikala, Satikudar and Jarkani, are targeted for completion by 2028 and will benefit villages in Jhumpura and Kendujhar blocks of Kendujhar district and the Jarkani area of Mayurbhanj district, officials said.
Addressing the programme, CM Majhi said the projects would help farmers grow two to three crops annually instead of just one, thereby increasing their income.
“If farmers prosper, Odisha prospers. The rural economy cannot be strengthened until the fields of our farmers receive water. This project is not merely about laying water pipes; it is a revolutionary step towards turning our parched soil into a source of golden harvests,” he said.
The Chief Minister criticised the previous BJD government, accusing it of failing to achieve the target of providing irrigation to at least 35 per cent of agricultural land in every block.
“As a son of a farmer, I understand that providing water to agricultural land automatically resolves half of a farmer’s problems. The current government is making arrangements to provide irrigation to 15 lakh hectares of land over the next five years,” he said.
CM Majhi, who also holds the Water Resources portfolio, said the state government had earmarked Rs 14,500 crore in the current budget for various irrigation projects.
Six intra-basin reservoir projects have been completed, while 1,941 km of field channels have been lined with reinforced cement concrete (RCC), improving irrigation facilities across 80,000 hectares, he said.
Underground pipeline systems are also being laid under the Anandapur Barrage, Lower Suktel and Kusumi Barrage projects. Besides, 656 new check dams have been constructed and 1,022 existing ones renovated across the state, he added.
CM Majhi announced that the long-awaited Kanupur Irrigation Project in Kendujhar district would be formally inaugurated in December.
The reservoir project is expected to provide irrigation to thousands of hectares of farmland in the district, he said.
During the visit, the chief minister also inaugurated a Community Health Centre (CHC) at Jhumpura, constructed at a cost of Rs 17.97 crore, and a new SBI branch at Raikala.
CM Majhi also announced a sports complex in Raikala at Rs 24 crore and an SC/ST residential school to be built at Rs 30 crore.
PTI
